Utah sues BP Amoco for dipping into state fund

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is suing oil giant BP Amoco for collecting state money to clean up spills from leaky storage tanks under service stations.

Shurtleff says BP had its own insurance policies for cleanups and wasn't entitled to nearly $1.5 million from Utah's Petroleum Storage Tank Fund.

The state's top lawman says BP helped itself to state assistance for a dozen years until 2007.

The fund was set up only for petroleum storage tanks owners without insurance for cleanups.

Utah filed a similar lawsuit in June against ConocoPhillips. Montana is pursuing a claim that BP collected money from a tank cleanup fund while also collecting insurance payouts. BP says the state actions are without merit and do not amount to fraud.

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